London: Science, Literature, and Infectious Disease

From a disease standpoint, Shakespeare lived in one the worst places and times in history. Shakespeare's London was a hub for the nastiest diseases known to mankind. The Burch Science Seminar in London is a six-week interdisciplinary summer program designed to broaden students' views and understanding of scientific discovery in infectious disease in relation to the prevailing intellectual views of society as a whole. Students will examine major advances in the prevention and control of infectious disease made in or near London, and read novels, plays, and poetry from the same periods as these discoveries to better understand the world in which these scientists lived.

Summer 2026
June 20 - August 1
Program Highlights Academics Apply

Application Deadline

January 15

Eligibility

All Burch Field Research Seminars are open to UNC undergraduates (second-year status or greater) who have a 3.0 GPA. It is a prerequisite that students have taken BIOL 103 and 104 or 202 (or with permission of instructor) prior to the program. BIOL 220 is an instructor approved replacement for 104 or 202.

Questions

Holland Page
Global Education and Fellowships Advisor
Schedule advising here. 

Gina Difino
Director, Global Education and Fellowships
HonorsBurch@unc.edu

 

Diseases desperate grown,
By desperate appliance are relieved,
Or not at all.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet